4-Star Jimmy Jaggers Discusses Recruitment, Timeline and Bond with Top 2017 TEs

EL SOBRANTE, Calif. — A familiar scene at the recent Oakland Nike Opening Regional camp was seeing a few members of the tight end segment enjoying each other’s company in breaks between the action.

One player who seemed to be in the middle of the madness was 4-star tight end Jimmy Jaggers. 

The 6’4”, 244-pounder was just one of a handful of studs in a group that included 4-star Stanford pledge Colby Parkinson, 3-star Stanford pledge Tucker Fisk and 4-star Josh Falo, among others.

Jaggers was clearly enjoying the moment with a segment that rarely garners the lion’s share of attention in these settings.

“It’s awesome. It’s fun being out here with all of these great guys and the tight ends. It’s fun to be in this atmosphere and compete with these guys,” Jaggers told Bleacher Report. “We always do our own thing as a tight end group. Most of the time, we’re off to the side by ourselves. It’s kind of fun being with the top guys who have the same ideas.”

Jaggers acquitted himself well in the camp and showed why he’s one of the nation’s top players at his position.

Now, the nation’s No. 6 tight end and the No. 235 player overall in the 2017 cycle is in the beginning stages of paring down his list of 17 reported offers.

While he admits that he hasn’t spent much time on recruiting in the spring, he’s in the process of planning visits to see a few of the schools he’s interested in.

“I haven’t actually taken any recent visits, but I am trying to get my mom down with my stepdad to USC and UCLA in June,” Jaggers said. “Then, after the Rivals Five-Star Challenge in Atlanta, we are going to go to check out the University of Florida and see if the South is an area I want to look into more. I might be able to visit Texas A&M and that’s really it. I’m just kind of looking toward narrowing it down as soon as I get a couple of those visits in.”

The Golden State pass-catcher also notes that he’s developed a strong bond with a few of the coaches at those programs.

“I keep in touch with all of them for the most part,” Jaggers noted of his communication with college coaches. “They hit me up on a regular basis. [Tight ends] coach [Greg] Nord at Florida hits me up just about every day. Then [tight end] Coach [John] Baxter and [head] Coach [Clay] Helton at USC, [tight ends] Coach Rip [Scherer] at UCLA and [tight ends] Coach [Jordan] Paopao at Washington are definitely doing a good job of recruiting me.”

One other thing Jaggers has done in the offseason is study a pair of tight ends who he looks up to.

“I love watching Rob Gronkowski play and the way he has fun with the game. Jake Butt at Michigan is someone I see myself as being similar to as far as size, speed and the way he runs his routes,” Jaggers said.

Jaggers notes that a decision could come as soon as July, although he could push it back if he isn’t ready to make a final determination.

Whatever lucky program lands him, it will get an added bonus of getting him on campus in January as he’s on track to become an early enrollee.

Jaggers, who reports a GPA of 4.2, also plans on majoring in business when he gets to college. Academics will be one component he factors in seriously, but there’s one overall theme that will take precedent in his decision-making process.

“All of these schools have great academics and great opportunities, so it’s just going to [come down to] who I’m most comfortable with.”

Sanjay Kirpalani is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. Unless otherwise noted, all quotes obtained firsthand and all recruiting information courtesy of 247Sports.